No top host contract renewal for Jeremy Clarkson

The contract of Jeremy Clarkson, the lead presenter of the motoring programme, Top Gear, will not be renewed.

The announcement came via the BBC after Clarkson, 54, was on a final warning with the company over accusations he used racist language while during a filming of the show.

Clarkson has generated both profits and controversy for Britain’s publicly funded broadcaster, especially in recent months after a ‘fracas’ with a producer.

“It is with great regret that I have told Jeremy Clarkson today that the BBC will not be renewing his contract,” Tony Hall, the BBC Director-General, said in a statement.

The popular British program, which aired in more than 200 countries, is one of the company’s most profitable shows. Unfortunately Clarkson’s forthright manner has offended numerous groups including mental health charities, environmental groups and cyclists.

Last year, the show found itself in midst of a diplomatic incident between Argentina and Britain, two countries that once went to war over the Falkland Islands. The incident resulted in a Top Gear television crew fleeing Argentina after they were seen driving a car with the license plate H982 FLK, a number some people saw as reference to the 1982 Falklands conflict.